The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA (GHRC) offers fall, spring and summer internships. Applications for Summer 2022 have now closed. We are seeking interns for Fall 2022. Depending on evolving Covid safety requirements, some or all of the internship may be completed remotely.
GHRC, founded in 1982, is a non-profit, grassroots, solidarity organization dedicated to promoting human rights in Guatemala and supporting communities and activists who face threats and violence. GHRC documents and denounces abuses, educates the international community, and advocates for policies that foster peace and justice.
Role of Interns
- Because the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA is a small organization, interns are integral and involved in all aspects of our work. Depending on their interests, interns can hone their translating and editing skills working on our quarterly publication, gain experience planning and organizing events (such as fundraisers, speaking tours, or delegations to Guatemala), fine-tune their research skills assisting staff with affidavits for political asylum cases, and learn up-close how a nonprofit organization functions. Interns have an opportunity to work in all of the following areas:
- Publications: Translating, writing, editing, and publishing reports.
- Outreach: Maintaining and updating our media list, creatively forging links between our organization and others, and helping with congressional work, when applicable.
- Development: Researching grant opportunities, preparing direct mail letters, organizing fundraisers, and acquiring basic database and website management skills.
- Asylum documentation: GHRC works with a national network of attorneys on political asylum cases by providing legal research and expert testimony. Intern work may include researching particular subjects to support political asylum claims, organizing subject files, and compiling information to draft affidavits.
- Interns may have the opportunity to attend monthly coalition meetings, where upcoming legislative work and strategies are discussed, regarding US policy as it relates to Guatemala.
- Often, interns have the opportunity to attend congressional briefings and/or meetings with congressional staff. All interns will be able to participate in a thorough orientation session on legislative work.
- Interns may also have the opportunity to meet prominent Guatemalan human rights defenders.
- All interns will also be able to research a topic of interest pertaining to the human rights situation in Guatemala, work with an editor, and submit articles for publication.
It is a policy of our office that we all share in communal administrative tasks. Those tasks include answering phones, data entry, photocopying, filing, mailings, processing orders, and dispatching information.
The intern and GHRC/USA staff will usually decide together on the intern’s particular focus, according to the person’s interests and previous experience. A minimum of twenty hours per week is preferable.
*Please note in application if you have a specific interest in one of the following three areas: communications and fundraising, advocacy/organizing, or program and research.*
Required
Strong written and oral skills in English are essential. Spanish skills are a plus but not required. (The ability to do English/Spanish translation is particularly useful.)
Though not a prerequisite, the following background is strongly preferred:
- Interns based out of the Washington, DC area
- Demonstrated interest in Latin America/human rights issues
- Activism in human rights, peace, and justice causes
- Good organizational skills
- Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPress or Indesign. Additional media skills a plus!
How to apply
Internships at GHRC/USA are unpaid positions, but college credit for an internship can usually be arranged. Please send a resume and a cover letter (with the dates you are available) by email to GHRC at ghrc-usa@ghrc-usa.org. Please include your name and “Fall Internship” in the subject line.
Submit your application by August 21, 2022 to be considered for the fall internship.